David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants Setting & Symbolism

Malcolm Gladwell

This Study Guide consists of approximately 40 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more -
everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.

Inverted U-Curve

The author uses the inverted U-curve to illustrate the point at which the amount of money or other resources peaks and begins to have no impact or even a detrimental impact. Teresa DeBrito, the principal of Shepaug Middle School watched as her class sizes decreased each year. While parents were happy with the trend, DeBrito watched the U-curve begin to form and knew that they were heading for a struggle. Lawrence of Arabia defeated a force of 1,200 well-armed soldiers with a band of 200 Arabs who had never fought in a war and grabbed what weapons they could find. On the U-curve, the chances for Turkish victory decreased due to the army’s narrow focus and its overabundance of resources.

The Cognitive Reflection Test

The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) was developed by Yale professor Shane Frederick. It measures an individual’s ability to understand complexities. Results of...